Like a Family
by Amourable
Summary: In order for their friend to survive, they'll need to work together. It's like they're a family! Contains Amourshipping, AASL, SatoSere, AshXSerena. Childhoodshipping. Rated T.


**Soooooo this was originally supposed to be a oneshot. But... Idk I think I just over did it. So it might be a twoshot. Or it could it's own story all together! Either way, thank you all so much for the support. I'm sorry I don't get to update much. I have a lot of things going on right now that I'm dealing with so I appreciate you guys being so patient with me. Nevertheless I hope you enjoy!**

The sun shone above their heads. A cool breeze wafted through the air, giving the group a short but appreciated break from the scorching heat. Clemont wiped his brow, a layer of sweat flew off his hand as he did. He called out ahead of him with a shaky voice, "Hey, guys can we slow down a bit?"

Ash, Serena, and Bonnie glanced behind them. Clemont was dragging his feet, practically limping. He was short of breath and completely flushed.

"Come on Clemont!" Bonnie yelled.

"Uhm, do you want to take a break?" Ash asked.

"No, no. I don't want to be a burden. Can we just slow down the pace a little?"

"Okay." Ash replied with a smile.

The three stopped and waited for Clemont to jog over. Once they were reunited they continued walking at a much slower pace. Bonnie groaned in annoyance.

Serena dropped her gaze to the dirt road beneath her feet. Her eyes became foggy and distant, as if in a trance. She was completely lost in thought. Her feelings for Ash were growing at an exponential rate. So much so that it almost hurt. Her heart heaved in her longing for the boy. Even though she knew her chances were slim. Despite knowing how it'd just hurt her in the long run, she continued to believe. Her heart was yearning since the very beginning of their journey, and it was too late to stop it now. So she just trekked on, trying to forget about it. Trying to live with it as long as she could.

She was still happy though. Her love might have plagued her thoughts from time to time, but it wasn't completely destroying her like she thought it would. Since she was young she's been very vulnerable when it came to her emotions. Even though Ash is, unknowingly, hurting her, he's helping her too. He taught her to never give up, to never let anything bother her. To never surrender. But to keep trying to become the best she could be. And that drove her. She would work hard day and night. She would train and fight just to make sure she never lost herself. She was proud of what she accomplished. She was proud of herself and her Pokemon.

"Serena!" Ash called out. "Serena, what's gotten into you?!"

Serena snapped back into reality. Her head jerked back as she returned from her thoughts. Disoriented, she turned around to see what was going on. She saw Ash running up to her full speed, calling her name. But, the others were nowhere to be found. Once Ash had caught up, he to asked her, "What's gotten into you?"

"What do you mean? What's wrong?"

"You were walking ahead. Very quickly I might add."

"I was?"

"Yeah. You kinda left us all behind." Ash replied with a chuckle.

"Oh, oh my gosh! I'm sorry! I guess I just got lost in thought."

"Nah, it's fine. It happens. Come on, we found a place to stop and rest."

Serena examined the area around her and realized just where they were. They were both surrounded by birch trees, deep in the forest. When had she trailed into the forest? She couldn't even see the road from here. Just a vast grove of white trees, each of them littered with small, brown stripes and patterns. They were absolutely beautiful. She loved the way they looked in big groups like this. She felt as though she could stare at the grace of this forest forever.

Ash reached out with his arm and took hold of Serena's hand. She froze. Her heartbeat quickened. And her face began to flush a deep scarlet. Ash tugged at her arm lightly, motioning her to come with him. She obliged, ecstatically. They both continued back up through the forest, Ash leading her by the arm. The entire time, Serena kept her eyes glue to their hands in disbelief. They were holding hands. Serena could feel the warmth of Ash's hand travel up her arm and past her shoulder. She felt her face become even warmer, and it continued to spread until an extensive portion of her face was covered in a deep shade of electric crimson. After awhile, she began to acknowledge how long it was taking them to get back to wherever it was Clemont and Bonnie were. Had she really walked that far without noticing?

"Okay, I think it's official." Ash began.

"What?" Serena questioned.

Ash turned to her with an awkward smile and continued, "We're lost."

Serena was surprised at first. Not so much scared or worried. Just surprised. After a little bit it became a bit amusing to her. She began to giggle.

"What's so funny?" Ash asked, slightly irritated.

"Oh nothing," She began, "It's just that, you've been travelling for so long. I figured you'd have better orienteering skills." She continued to giggle uncontrollably.

"Well, at least I'm not the one who walked off so far without realizing." Ash replied sarcastically.

Serena puffed up her cheeks.

"I do not appreciate the sarcasm ."

Ash began chuckle. Soon it turned into a full on laugh.

"You sound just like my old teachers." Ash cackled

Serena snickered and cleared her throat.

"Right, we should probably try to find our way back."

"Yeah, you're right."

Ash reached down and grabbed two Pokeballs from his belt and released the Pokemon slumbering inside.

"Talonflame, Noibat. I choose you!"

In a flash, both Talonflame and Noibat were released into the air.

"You two, I need you to find Clemont and Bonnie. We… kinda got separated."

They both nodded their heads and took off in search of the Lumiose duo.

"We should probably keep moving too." Ash suggested.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

They continued to walk through the forest, hoping to find their friends. Sunlight dripped through the gaps in the leaves, giving a certain mysterious vibe to the area. For the most part, the forest was darkened by the canopy high above their heads. All the colors seemed to fade. However, as the sunlight pierced the shield of leaves overhead, splashes of color would paint the ground around them. Allowing an alluring sensation to follow the mysterious vibe. A while passed as they continued to hike through the woods. They made their way to a small dirt road. When they first saw it, they were very excited. However, upon arrival, Serena pointed out that it was much thinner than the last road they were on, so it might not be the same one. Ash agreed.

"It might be, but it's all we've got for now. Let's just keep moving, it's probably just another part of the same path." Ash stated.

Serena nodded her head and continued to walk with him. She kinda wished he was holding her hand again. It made her feel safe. She wasn't complaining though. They were completely alone. It was nice having Ash by her side. Especially with the amount of alone time they had. But she was sure Clemont and Bonnie were worried. And so was Ash. So she didn't want to cause more trouble than she already had.

She was jerked from her thoughts in an instant by a cold feeling shot through her shoulder. Surprised, She looked to her left and focused her eyes on a small droplet of water on running down her arm. It had slid down past her elbow and to her wrist. Seconds later she felt another cold wet droplet hit her on the top of the head.

"Ash… I think it's raining."

Ash looked up with a stern look on his face. He saw a large cloud above their heads. Even though it didn't seem like it was raining, it sure looked to him like it was going to any minute now. A small droplet of water fell from the sky and hit Ash right on the nose. He jumped, slightly surprised.

"I think you're right. We'd better get moving."

Serena nodded and they paced a little bit quicker. At this point it was drizzling slightly. The clouds hadn't covered the entire sky, only a small portion in the east. Out on the west horizon, it was still bright and clear.

"Do you think we can make it there in time?" Serena asked.

"I don't think so. The best we can hope for is to make it under a big tree." Ash replied.

"Let's get moving then."

"Right."

They took off, running through the drizzling rain. Puddles splashed at their feet left and right, the rain was starting to come down harder. As they continued to run, the storm became more and more severe. Despite the pouring rain, they continued running down the, now muddy, path.

"It's coming down really hard!" Ash yelled over the splashing noise.

"Yeah! This is bad!" Serena yelled back.

"Come on, we don't have time to waste!"

They ran into a small clearing. To their left was a large wooden cabin. Ash and Serena looked at each other in excitement and ran up to the door.

"Hello? Is anyone home? May we come in to get out of the storm please?" Ash called, knocking on the hard wooden door.

Serena peered through the window.

"Ash, I don't think anyone is home. Let's just go in and explain to them when they get back." Serena coaxed.

"Okay."

Ash turned the knob of the door and pushed. The door slowly creaked open. Light poured into the dark room, as Ash and Serena both stepped in. Once they were both inside, Ash closed the door behind them. To the right was there was a light switch. Ash grabbed it and pulled it up. The lights flickered for a moment before finally turning on, revealing the contents of the room. There was a small green couch and a brown coffee table in front of it. Under the coffee table was a large, green oval rug. To the left of the couch was a door that most likely led to another room. Serena sighed in relief.

"We're okay for now." Ash muttered, placing a hand on Serena's shoulder.

"Yeah. I just hope Clemont and Bonnie are okay." Serena returned.

Serena sighed again. "I'm sorry Ash. This is all my fault. I was the one who walked off and got us lost."

Ash looked over and gave her a smirk.

"Don't worry about it. It's fine. Hey, what's travelling if there's no adventure involved?" Ash joked.

"Heh. Yeah I guess you're right."

A few moments of disdain silence between the two had formed. However, just as the peace had settled in, it was shattered by a soft, yet still surprising *achoo* sound. Ash looked over to Serena who had just sneezed.

"You're going to catch a cold like that. Here, I'll go see if I can find some towels." Ash affirmed.

"Oh, uhm, thanks." Serena whispered.

Ash sauntered over to the door on the other side of the room and swung it open, disappearing into the mysterious ambiguity of the rest of the house. Serena placed her now soggy hat down on the coffee table and sighed once again. _This is all my fault._ She thought to herself.

"I could only find one." Ash stated as he waltzed back into the room.

He handed it to her. Before Serena could grab it however, she sneezed again and began to shiver uncontrollably. Ash frenziedly began to wrap the towel around her. It was soft against Serena's skin. The towel began to absorb the cold liquid that soaked her clothing, providing her a brief moment of relaxation. Ash took a small part of the towel and began to lightly rub Serena's head in an attempt to dry her hair for her. He looked her in the eyes and smiled. Despite the looming awkwardness that they both undoubtedly felt, he continued to rub the top of her head, as well as the sides. Ash really cared about her and her safety. Upon realization, Serena took a closer look at Ash's face as discretely as possible. She noticed something. Such a small detail that she would never had seen if she hadn't looked so close. However small, it was enough to earn a blush from her. Ash's eyes were practically

Once Ash felt that Serena's hair was adequately dried dry, he wrapped the towel around her completely and pat her on the head.

"You should be okay now.." He smiled.

"T-thanks." Serena stuttered.

Ash then sat her down on the couch and jumped to his feet. He quickly dawdled over to the small wooden door and opened it once again.

"Where are you going?" Serena questioned.

"I'm going to find Talonflame and Noibat." Ash stated solemnly.

"Wait, I should come with you." Serena recommended, standing up.

"No. I'll go alone."

"What do you mean no? You could get hurt out there!"

"I don't care! I have to find them and you're getting a cold. It's better if you stay here."

"But-!"

Serena was cut off by a shrieking sound. They both peered outside in panic. As their eyes fruitlessly searched the forest around them, they questioned what it was. Until they heard it again. They both looked up in unison, only to see Talonflame descending from the sky above. He seemed to be in pain. Talonflame landed on the ground and Ash ran out into the pouring rain to grab him. Serena looked on from the cold, glass window. Once Ash had secured him, he brought Talonflame back into the cabin. .

"You're going to be fine Talonflame." Ash muttered.

Talonflame gave a hearty cry in return, as if trying to prove to Ash that he's fine.

"Talonflame, will you be okay?" Ash asked, worried.

Talonflame nodded and gave a fiery look at him. Ash smiled and continued.

"Okay then, I trust you. Did you see Noibat anywhere?" Ash asked again, still worried.

Talonflames expression turned stern and he pointed with his wing in the direction he saw Noibat. Ash got up and ran for the dense woods, as quick as he could.

"Ash!" Serena called.

But he had already left. Serena ran to the threshold of the door. Watching Ash run off into the forest, a solemn look on her face.

* * *

Ash burst out the door and ran for the forest. Small droplets of the brisk rain cascaded onto his body with an astounding amount of force. He slipped and slid through the muddy puddles that littered the ground.

"Noibat! Noibat where are you!?" Ash called, hoping for a response.

He continued running. The howling winds blew the branches around as if they were feathers, causing them to thrash at him, knocking Ash to the ground. He was in pain. He was constantly slipping and falling on rocks. But, he didn't care. All he wanted was to find Noibat. Luckily, he was able to spot a small purple lump, poking out from behind a fallen log.

"Noibat!" Ash yelled in excitement

He sprinted over the log and examined Noibat. He was injured. Considering the fact that he is still new to flying, rain was Noibats worst enemy..

Moments later, she saw Ash burst from the wet shrubs, sprinting back into the cabin, with Noibat in his arms. He shut the door behind him. Noibat looked like he was in pain. Serena looked on in horror. There was an injury on his head. He must have fallen and landed on it.

"It's gonna be okay Noibat. You'll be fine." Ash whispered.

However, the only response was a barely audible grumble.

"Ash, here, set Noibat down on the couch." Serena commanded.

"Right."

Ash laid Noibat on the couch, and Serena took the other blanket and laid it out on top if him.

"What're we going to do?" Ash questioned.

"I don't know. I think I might have some first aid stuff in my bag, but I don't think it's enough." Serena acknowledged with a stern tone in her voice.

"Do you think it'll help?"

"It might, but it's for cuts and bruises and stuff. This might be a bigger injury than we can see."

"Well, it's better than nothing!"

"You're right."

Serena reached to her bag and opened it, searching through the contents inside. After a few moments passed, Serena pulled a small red pouch from her bag. She unzipped it and laid it flat on the coffee table. It was full of a bunch of small tools and wrappers. Bandages and bottles. Strange things you wouldn't normally see in a teenage girl's bag.

Serena took out a small rag and a long, thin tube filled with a mirky brown liquid. She unhinged the cap and poured the brown liquid onto the rag.

"This is going to sting a little bit, okay Noibat?" Serena warned.

She lightly pressed the rag with the brown liquid onto Noibats head injury. Noibat yelped in pain and began to squirm. Tears began to form in his eyes. Serena winced as well. She felt bad for putting Noibat in so much pain. Confused, Ash reached over and examined the thin bottle. He noticed a large, white label. It was labeled, 'Peroxide.'

"Peroxide?" Ash questioned

"It's a liquid that cleans deep wounds so they don't get infected." Serena sternly replied.

"Well, I was not aware we had a doctor amongst us." Ash smirked sarcastically.

Serena giggled and replied, "No, I'm no doctor. I just know basic first-aid."

Ash smiled and nodded.

"Well aren't we lucky then?"

They both began to lightly chuckle.

The squirming and pain came to a halt. Serena vigilantly pulled out a small roll of gauze and lightly, however securely, fastened it around Noibats head.

"He should be okay for now. Let's just let him rest a while and he should be fine until we get to a Pokemon Centre."

"Wow, thanks Serena! You really are ama-a-a-a- achoo!"

Ash rubbed his nose and shivered. Serena began to giggle slightly.

"We probably should sit on the couch, but our clothes are soaked." Serena stated.

"Here, I have an idea."

Ash pulled the towel away from Serena and placed it down onto the couch.

"See, now we can sit without the couch getting wet." Ash said with a smile.

"Okay. That works." Serena nodded.

Much to Serena's surprise, Ash had begun to take off his jacket.

"You should take yours off too ya know. It's completely soaked. You don't want to catch a cold, do you?" Ash joked.

Serena began to blush slightly.

"Uhm, yeah. Sure."

She stood up and slowly began to slip off her vest. Revealing the light pink dress that was underneath. She placed it on the coffee table in front of her and sat back down. She patted the seat next to her and motioned for Ash to do the same. He obliged and sat down, placing his jacket onto the coffee table.

Ash sneezed once again. But, this time, it was much louder. They both felt awful. They were wet, cold, uncomfortable. They were shivering and sneezing and it was hell. Serena sighed.

"This is all my fault Ash. I'm sorry. I don't know why I constantly screw things up. I don't blame you for hating me for this. I really am sorry."

"S-Serena."

"No, Ash. Don't say that it isn't my fault. I know that you want to be nice but you don't have to lie. You and I both know that we wouldn't be in this situation if I had just payed more attention."

"I wasn't going to say it's not your fault. I'd never lie to you Serena. Yes, this is your fault. I'm not denying it."

Serena let out a sigh. She dropped her gaze to her lap and fiddled with her hands. Tears began to form in her eyes.

"What I was going to say," Ash continued, " was that you don't screw _everything_ up. Okay yeah, you screwed up this time. But we all screw up from time to time. I couldn't _possibly_ even count the number of times I have screwed up on my adventures!" Ash joked.

Serena snickered, but continued wringing her wrists. She still felt bad.

"Look Serena. What I'm trying to get at, is that even though you messed up a couple of times, you shouldn't feel so terrible about it."

Ash placed a hand on Serena's cheek. Motioning for her to look him in the eyes. Serena look Ash in the eyes, the warmth of his hand comfort her. She began to blush. However, the blush wasn't very big. She was too distracted, she hardly noticed it.

"Don't beat yourself up over making one mistake. Besides, this isn't all your fault. I'm the one who got us lost." Ash muttered, chuckling.

Serena sighed and placed her own hand on top of Ash's.

"Thank you Ash. I really appreciate you saying that."

"Also, I could never hate you. There isn't a thing in the world you could possibly do that could make me hate you. Don't ever say that Serena. Nobody hates you. We all love you." Ash grinned.

Serena was taken aback. Her blush become ever more deep. And she couldn't think conversation was cut short by a groaning sound. Ash and Serena both looked over to find that it was Noibat who was groaning in pain. Serena walked over and lightly pressed her hand against Noibats forehead. Her eyes widened.

"What? What's wrong with Noibat?" Ash yelled sporadically.

"He has a fever."

"Oh man. Have you got any medicine?"

"I have medicine for people but not for Pokemon."

"Will it still work?"

"Not a clue."

"Well it's worth a shot."

"I guess, but what if it just makes it worse?"

Ash looked to the floor, frustrated.

"Damn. What're we gonna do?" He muttered.

Serena placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it Ash, Noibats fever isn't that crazy. He just needs some rest. Maybe some food and water. It's gonna be fine."

Ash kept his gaze glued to the floor and sighed. He reached up and placed his hand over Serena's and took a deep breath.

"There you go again, making my day brighter." Ash uttered.

He let go of Serena's hand and turned to face her; flashing her a toothy grin. Serena lightly blushed. She tried to cover her face through her hair, to no avail. Ash saw the small red dots on her face. She was cute. He found that his cheeks were beginning to heat up as well. They both looked away and took a step back, embarrassed.

A few moments of awkward silence passed. The air in front of them practically seeped discomfort. The awkwardness was put to a rest when Serena noticed sunlight shining through the window, reflecting off of the small droplets of rain left behind.

"Look! I think the rain is stopping!"

Ash peered out the window, trying to get a glimpse of the outside. Sunlight had filled the sky, brightening the area considerably.

Excited, Ash opened to door and stepped outside. It was surprising to say the least that when he did, the rain was still pouring. It had lightened up, but the rain continued falling. Serena stepped by Ash's side, confused. As she strode past the threshold of the door, a droplet of rain connected with her temple, and slid down her cheek. The sight was a beauty to behold. The rain was still pouring as it was, only relieving slightly. However, the clouds have seemed to dissipate. Most of them anyways. The sun shone across the sky, light reflecting off of each falling droplet like sparks igniting in the celestial sphere above them. It mirrored off of the running water sweeping through the forest, making it look like a fire had lit up the ground. A slight breeze had wafted through, causing the whole mountain to shiver. It was cold yes, but It was beautiful.

Serena gasped at the sight. She was amazed. And she wasn't the only one. Ash was paralyzed in awe. Their eyes gleamed as the witnessed the phenomenon.

"Well, we're soaked again." Ash established.

Serena shook her head and began to snicker.

"I don't care!" She shouted gleefully.

Without another word she ran. She jumped up and down and splashed water all over the place, still giggling.

"Serena! You're gonna get sick!" Ash called. But she didn't answer.

Ash puffed his cheeks in amusement. Watching the frolicing damsel as she inacted her own gleeful activities such as, splashing around in the makeshift shallow river that had formed due to the storm, jumping up and down and dancing, and even running up to Ash and pulling him into the rain as well!

"Woah, wait Serena!" Ash exclaimed. She still didn't respond.

Ash staggered around the ground, trying to find his footing. Serena, holding his hands to guide him. Once he did, he glared at her, scowling. Serena could only return a cheeky grin.

"You're already wet now, you might as well join me!" Serena giggled.

Ash's anger formed into a look of amusement. He rolled his eyes and joined her. They jumped, and danced, and splashed in unison. Despite the obvious health risks, they both continued to shower each other in water. Drenching each other completely.

"It's so beautiful!" Serena cheered.

Ash gave her a look of delight. _Yeah, that's not the only thing. I mean, you're here!_ he jokingly thought to himself, casting his gaze to the sky. It fell particularly silent the moment he did. Obviously the rain was still making lots of noise, however Serena was the quiet one. She hadn't spoke after Ash had looked upwards. That wasn't the weird part though. She had ceased all noise, all movement. Her giggling and splashing stopped. Ash had noticed this and looked to her in confusion. She was slouched slightly, staring at Ash with bemusement in her eyes. She was blushing, hard. Ash looked at her, puzzled.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, what're you staring at?" Ash asked.

"W-what did you just say?" She stuttered in response.

"Uhm, I asked what you're staring at."

"N-No. I mean before that. W-what did you say before that?"

"I didn't say anything. What're you talking about?"

"Wha-what do you mean what am I talking about? What you just said!"

"I don't understand? What did I say?"

Serena's blush grew.

"Y-you said I w-was b-beautiful." She trailed off

Ash froze, his eyes widened.

"W-wait…. I said that outloud?!"

Serena nodded her head awkwardly. Ash stood there for a moment before dropping his gaze the 'river' under him. Rain continuing to splash against his body. And, with every raindrop that hit him, he felt himself get heavier and heavier. He was struggling to stand. Blood rushed to his cheeks. He could feel them warm up as his face turned bright red. The sun shone behind him, casting a long shadow forward. The raindrops on his body glistened.

Desperate to change the subject, Serena frantically cast her eyes over the forest around her looking for something that can distract them from this predicament.

"Hey, look! Over there!" Serena called, pointing to a tree not too far behind Ash.

Ash looked up once again and turned his head to investigate what it was Serena was talking about. A few meters away was a large tree. On its leaves were dozens of Oran berries.

"Oran berries?" Ash questioned.

"It can help with Noibats sickness!" Serena inferred.

"Really?!"

"Yeah!"

"Let's go get some!"

Serena nodded. They sprinted to the tree that bore the Oran berries. Once they arrived, they found a slight problem in their plans. The tree was too tall. That couldn't reach it on their own.

"Any ideas?" Ash asked

"Nope." Serena replied

"Here I've got an idea."

Serena glanced over and saw Ash bending his knees and balancing on his toes.

"Get on my shoulders and you can reach for them." He called, looking back at Serena.

She nodded and moved closer to him. Ash tried to bend down as far as he could. Once she was within reach, Serena carefully placed a leg over his shoulder. Once she had found her footing, she swung her leg over his other shoulder. At first, Serena was in a awkward position. But, much to Ash's convulsion, she adjusted her legs and rotated her hips, finally putting her in a comfortable position. Then, with all his strength, Ash pushed himself into a standing position. Serena jerked upwards. Her arms instinctively grabbed onto Ash's head.

"You okay?" Ash asked, chuckling.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll see if I can reach those Oran berries."

"Okay, be careful."

Serena nodded her head, and reached up, hoping to grab onto one of the round, navy berries. However, they still could barely reach the lower branches. Even on top of each other, they had trouble reaching them. Serena reached as high as she could. As she looked up, she saw three Oran berries that had lots of potential for getting picked. She reached even further, putting strain on Ash's back. Serena began to fall forward, Ash, however, grabbed onto Serena's legs, keeping her still. She reached and reached as far as she could. Eventually, her fingers brushed against the small, dark blue berry. She lurched forward, grabbing the berry and landing back down awkwardly.

"Agh!" Ash cried.

"Oh my god, Ash I'm sorry!"

"Don't worry about me, just get the berries and we can go." Ash groaned through his teeth.

Serena nodded once again and reached for the second one. This second one was much lower. It wasn't apparent to Serena as to why she didn't pick this one first, but it didn't matter. She reached for it and grabbed it in one fluent motion. However, this third one was gonna be a pain. She lunged at it, jerked at it, staggered for it, to no avail. Ash reeled back and forth in pain. His shoulders felt like they were going to collapse. The muscles of his abdomen felt the they were about to tear. And every time Serena jumped for the berry and landed back down, it sent a jolt of lacination through his body. He didn't care though. He needed to do this for Noibat. These Oran berries might actually help, and if it did, he didn't care what happened to him.

Serena knew he was in pain. But she also knew that she had to get this berry for Noibat. With all her grit and determination, she continued to reach for the berry. The rain wasn't helping either. The flood Ash was standing in kept throwing his balance. And with each droplet of rain that hit their heads, it became heavier and harder to reach up. But, they weren't about to give up. Serena clenched her teeth together and lunged as high as she could. Her fingers brushed the tip of the small berry. As soon as she realized how close she was, she lurched forward and seized it, wrapping her fingers around the sides. She smiled with glee. She did i! However, her celebration was short lived. Ash finally gave in. He could feel his limbs go numb as every ounce of his strength was torn from his body. His legs fumbled as he lost his footing. Serena swayed back and forth, shrieking. She knew she was gonna fall, but she wanted to make sure she didn't lose the berries when she did. Amongst the chaos, she slipped them into the pockets on her vest. Moments later, Ash's legs finally gave out and they both toppled to the ground, shrieking.

"Serena! You okay?" Ash called out in worriment.

"I should be asking you that! Are you alright? I'm so sorry!" Serena interjected.

"Yeah, I'm fine! Look!" He replied, forcing himself into a standing position.

Serena had a very unamused look on her face. She stood up and trudged over to him, the same somber expression glued to her face.

"Uhm, Serena? What's with that look?"

She didn't respond. All she did was raise her hand and lightly poke Ash's shoulder. He winced in pain and fell backwards onto his butt.

"You're a terrible liar Ash." Serena muttered, "You're hurt, let's get you back to the cabin."

Ash sighed and nodded, obliging to Serena's command.

"Did you at least get the berries?" Ash asked.

"Sure did!" Serena cheered, her stern expression instantly changing to one of conviviality.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the three berries, a large grin on her face. Ash returned an awkward smile and thought to himself. _How the hell does she do that?_

 ** _IMPORTANT PLEASE READ #$%^ &*&^%$#$%^&*()(*&^%$#$%^&*(_**

 ** _Big thanks to ultimateCCC for the recomendation. He has been a big supporter ever since I first started posting my writing here so I'd like to thank him for that as well! Also, if you have any Ideas for oneshots or stories that I can write please send them to me! I'd love to write them for you guys. I appreciate it! Thanks again!_**


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